'Roadblock' is working overtime

SAN DIEGO —— Chargers assistant coaches have an endearing
nickname for head coach Marty Schottenheimer: "Roadblock."

During an interview in the offseason with Schottenheimer and his
son, quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer, Brian revealed the
unique nickname.

"We always tease him and call him 'Roadblock' because when he
goes into a meeting, the tape gets rewound over and over again,"
Brian Schottenheimer said. "We know it is going to be a late
night."

It's all part of Marty Schottenheimer's perfectionism. When it
comes to preparing for a game, there is nothing too small, nothing
too insignificant for him to overlook.

The goal of all Chargers assistants, according to Brian
Schottenheimer, is to be so thoroughly prepared that Marty
Schottenheimer doesn't have a reason to extend their meetings.

Hence, they want to block him from coming in.

"If you are an offensive coach, you want him in the defensive
meeting room and the defense wants him in our meeting," Brian
Schottenheimer said. "When he goes in, things slow down real
fast."

As the Chargers prepare for Oakland today, I'm guessing
"Roadblock" has been working overtime on both the offensive and
defensive schemes.

It's not that Schottenheimer does not have a quality staff. He
does. But the importance of this contest in Oakland can't be
understated.

There are several reasons why this game holds such
significance:

It's personal. While Marty Schottenheimer won't admit it, he
gets great pleasure out of whipping Oakland, and he does it often.
No coach has more wins (23) against the Raiders. He's lost just
seven times and has beaten the Raiders in the teams' last three
meetings.

Momentum. The Chargers are coming off a tough Monday night loss
to Pittsburgh and need a win to even their record at 3-3, keeping
them in the hunt for the AFC West title. They've already lost one
game to an AFC West squad —— Denver —— and can't afford many more
losses within the division.

Against Pittsburgh, the Chargers' offensive line did not play
well and the defensive backs had just a brutal game.

Time management. A quirk in the schedule has the Steelers,
Raiders and the Chargers' next opponent, Philadelphia, having byes
the week before playing the Chargers. Having an extra week to
prepare is like an eternity in the NFL.

The Chargers' brain trust has one week to figure out what
Raiders head coach Norv Turner has been working on in twice the
amount of time.

Oakland will try to expose the Chargers' secondary with Randy
Moss, the game's most dangerous receiver west of the Mississippi.
That's no secret.

But the Raiders' defense has to find a way to stop LaDainian
Tomlinson, who has had some of his best games in Oakland. L.T. is
averaging 168 rushing yards on 34.7 carries in his last three
visits to Oakland.

This time around, the Raiders will present an improved run
defense that has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season.

The big picture. Every season has its turning point. Last year,
a 38-17 victory over Tennessee evened the Chargers' record at 2-2;
from there, they won 10 of their next 12 to win the division.